Neville Longbottom And An Unlikely Love Story
by ICannotKeepCalmImAFangirl
Summary: (au, Goblet of Fire forward, neville x oc, see notes/profile for more information) They're the same yet they're different. Courtney is a quiet and somber Ravenclaw who'd rather invent things or read science fiction than be bothered to do the things most girls do. Neville Longbottom is the sweet and quietly brave Gryffindor. One meeting starts it all. This is their story.
1. Notes & Such

Ermm, so, I'm writing a thing.. It's probably really, really shitty. I don't own Harry Potter, nor do I own any of the characters actually canon to the story. I only own Courtney and sometimes, it's debatable just how much I actually control her.

This is my first time ever posting anything anywhere. But I've been writing a really long time. Some of the general craziness within is based on stupid and completely pointless or random things I did at that age.

**Reviews are loved, but no flames, criticism or anything, please?**

**{CONTENT WARNINGS}**

People might be OOC. If this annoys, then do not read. Nobody's perfect.

I will not be pairing Neville Longbottom with Hannah Abbott. If this annoys, sorry. Okay, so not really, because it's my story and I happen to like Neville, and I happen to want to pair him with my original character, Courtney. If you wanna know more about her, read my profile, she's on there, she's listed under my musi section. There are even spiffy little picture links too, I've seen a lot of people posting links to their cast of characters so I thought why the hell not, huh?

* * *

4th year is the year that HE started to show signs of resurfacing. It is also the year that Courtney Montgomery, a Ravenclaw who's not exactly good with people, meets Neville Longbottom, a shy yet quietly courageous Gryffindor. From their meeting on the train back to school to the Yule Ball, and the years beyond, this is Courtney and Neville's journey from friends, to a mutual crush, to something more, in later years.

Because damn it, nobody really writes Neville love stories unless they're about him and Hannah or him and Luna and I happen to love the guy both onscreen and in his book form.


	2. The Hogwarts Express

"Mum, it's fine, seriously. Every year you spend at least ten minutes fussing over me, and every year, mum, I almost miss the train. I get that you're freaking out now, and so is Daddy. But things are totally fine. All of my friends are going back to Hogwarts, I see no reason I don't go back as well." the brunette said as she shuffled her feet, tapping them almost impatiently against the concrete sidewalk outside of Kings Cross, the station where she always boarded the train to go back to Hogwarts.

Internally, the normally calm and somber brunette with the pixie cut and the too large boys hand me downs had her doubts, but she knew how much of a mother hen her mum could be, so naturally, she shoved those doubts down as far as they'd go.

"I still don't see why you chopped all your hair off, Coco." her mother chided gently as she shook her head. Courtney slipped a piece of chewing gum into her mouth and said calmly, "Because, Mum, it's my hair and it is on my head. And the length was getting on my nerves." as her mother straightened her baggy plaid shirt's collar, tsked in disapprovement at her choice for a back to school outfit and then said quietly, "You've always been my little miniature adult. I can't believe this is your 4th year at Hogwarts.. It seems like only yesterday.."

The horns from a departing train had Courtney groaning as she insisted "Mum, I'm going to miss the train, damn it all. I promise, I'll owl you as often as I can. And if there's the slightest sense of danger, I'll send for you or daddy. Now can I please go before I miss the ruddy train?"

Her mother laughed and then hugging her said with a smile "I love you, little old woman. Have a little fun this year. You might surprise yourself and discover you actually like more than sports and those blasted inventions of yours, and your books."

"Highly doubtful, Mum. But I'll give it consideration." Courtney mumbled as she hugged her mother one last time and said with a smile, "Give daddy a kiss for me, would you?"

She watched her mother driving away as she raked her chipping black polished fingernails through her freshly chopped dark brown hair, while chewing thoughtfully on her lower lip.

She heaved her heavy hand me down bag from one shoulder to the other and turned on her heels, satisfied that her mother had gotten safely out of the parking lot, walking into the overcrowded train station where the first thing she did was buy enough candy to give any normal person the worst sugar rush known to man and a few comics, a few science journals.

Then she flopped down on a bench. She wasn't late and she knew from experience that the earlier you boarded, the more stuff you had to deal with in the way of interruptions.

While she waited, she sketched out the plan for a new invention she'd been working on, eyes darting up from the overstuffed and badly bent, stained and damaged black notebook in her hands to the crowd as it passed along in front of her.

She really didn't have that many friends, she really wasn't much for people in general. Her home life was noisy enough with all of her siblings there underfoot.. School was sort of her escape.

She spotted a few fellow Ravenclaws boarding the train and she quickly grabbed her things, shoving the journal/inventors log down into her oversized and ancient bag, taking off at a run for the line to Platform 9 3/4ths.

Once she boarded the train, she flopped haphazardly and out of breath into a cab, took back out her books, kicked off her hand me down black engineer boots and began reading again, paying no mind to anything going on around her as per usual.

"This seat's not taken is it?" a male voice asked quietly a few moments later. She looked up and bit her lower lip as a Gryffindor filed in, looked at her as if he were unsure whether he should sit with her or not. From what she remembered, his name was Neville or something like that, she wasn't nor had she ever claimed to be good with names.

"Not unless you count my imaginary friend." she muttered as she looked up from the Muggle science fiction novel she'd been reading, eyed him a little, warily. Normally, nobody sat in the same cab as her on the ride to Hogwarts. She wasn't entirely sure why he was sitting in her cab now.

He looked at her a moment, not sure whether she were being serious or just being sarcastic. Then she laughed a little and said quietly, "It's fine." as she flipped through a heavy book with an odd cover.

"What are you reading?"

"It's some science fiction book I bought while I was waiting to get on the train." the brunette eventually muttered as she kept reading, biting her nails as her golden brown eyes scanned the pages of the book.

Figuring she ought make conversation with the guy, she looked up and managing a smirk she said quietly, "Name's Courtney. What's yours?"

"It's Neville." he muttered as he gazed at her a moment, wondered why she'd practically chopped all her hair off. She saw him staring and fidgeted a little, nervously as she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Just wondering what made you cut off all your hair.. Wasn't it longer last year?" he asked, mentally kicking himself as he did so. She was being tolerant of him, more than most girls did normally. And if he didn't stop trying to force her into conversations or prying into her business, he had a feeling she'd clam up or leave the cab.

And he didn't want to go and sit with Seamus and Dean and the others because they all annoyed him when they weren't making fun of him, of course. It didn't bother him all the time, just days like today, when he'd already had quite the row with his grandmum about school and going back.

She'd wanted him to consider not going back just yet, like a few others, he'd stubbornly refused. If it weren't safe, he reasoned, surely they'd close down the school, wouldn't they?

"It was, yes." Courtney mumbled as she dug around, found a pack of gum in her pockets, held it out. "I cut it, Neville, because my mum wanted me to keep growing it out. And it annoyed me, flopping in my face, made it hard to see." she said as she slid the gum from the wrapper, slid it into her mouth. She looked at him, wondered how he'd known that to begin with.. She didn't know him officially until just now, when he'd introduced himself and asked her for her own name. They hadn't spoken.

And she wasn't much for paying attention to her surroundings. Or people. Or things they might say about her, either to her face or behind her back. She stared at him in curiousity a moment as he took the gum and slid a piece into his own mouth then said quietly, "Sorry, I just.."

"It's fine to ask questions. I'm just not good at talking to people, I'm afraid." Courtney admitted, afraid on some level that she'd hurt his feelings. She got the feeling that like her, he got picked on and tormented a lot.

He chuckled and nodded and said quietly, "I've the same problem." as he stared out the window of the cab, watched the scenery outside the train. Watching the scenery was by far one of his favorite things to do on the way back to school.

"So.. The Triwizard Tournament's at our school this year. I'm so excited I can barely contain myself." Courtney muttered with a slightly dry laugh as Neville smiled a little and said "It won't be so bad."

"It will if you are me and you have to put up with those annoying Beaubaton girls."Courtney muttered as she raked her hand through her hair, popped a bubble with the gum she chewed and then said "Or have your mum nagging at you about the Yule Ball and making friends, opening up. It makes me feel bad because I'm not like her nor my sister Martine."

"Everybody's different. Maybe she's just worried for you." Neville said thoughtfully as he added quietly, "I just wish my mum was able to nag at me."

Instantly, Courtney remembered that his parents were in the long term care ward of St. Mungos and instantly, she felt like a gigantic ass. "I'm.. I'm sorry, Neville." she muttered as he sighed and gave a forlorn shrug.

They sat quietly, awkwardly for a few moments and she finally said aloud, "I've seen you there.. With them. What happened was horrible."while looking at him, trying to give a slightly consoling smile as she added in way of an apology, "What I said just now, I'm sorry, I didn't.. I don't really think when I speak sometimes."

He shrugged again and said quietly, "Honesty can't always be didn't remember or anything, it's not like you intentionally said that to me." while looking at her, curiousity in his gaze.

The train pulled into the station to unboard and both of them figured this would most likely be the last they saw of each other.

What neither realized was that today was literally the start of the rest of their lives.. That everything happens for a reason, that they met for a reason.


	3. Quiet Conversations

She eyed their newest Defense Against The Dark Arts professor with the wary suspicion she normally reserved for any and all Slytherins and Lavendar Brown when she had occasion to cross their paths. Something about the guy was more than a little creepy, yet fascinating all in the same. His eye disturbed her, of course, but that was beside the point.

Today, they were learning, with the Gryffindors, about the Unforgivable Curses. She wasn't exactly sure why their professor felt this was a pressing matter, seeing as how they were only students, but she listened either way, made notes, answered any questions the man asked of her, which thankfully, were none. As she listened and jotted down her notes, she couldn't help but notice how Neville Longbottom seemed to squirm and fidget at least two rows ahead of her, from his seat near Granger.

She tried to not focus so much on it, however, but when Moody started torturing the spider, and she knew fully well it was the curse that sent Neville's parents into a catatonic state, she knew this, of course because her mum was a healer at St. Mungos until a few years ago.. She couldn't help but be concerned for the boy who'd actually shown kindness on the train a few days before, spoken to her when not many dared to do that very thing.

About halfway through class, she flinched herself as the demonstration got more and more intense before she finally put her hand over her eyes, only peering out of them when she absolutely had to. The bell to end the class had her standing, darting out the door, into the hall. She let out a few ragged breaths and promptly smacked into Neville, who was shaken, being consoled by his friends.

She hung back until his friends all wandered off and then she made her way over cautiously and tapped his shoulder. "You alright, Longbottom?" she asked as she looked up at him, one hand on her hip, the other hand in her short pixie cut hair. Neville shook his head and said quietly, "I'd rather not talk about it." as he sighed and then said quietly, "Thanks for asking, though." making her nod, manage a slightly apologetic grin as she said quietly, "Guys a bastard, I think. He'll be gone by next term, they never stick round long." in a voice meant to reassure him.

She honestly didn't know why this whole thing and how he was affected by it bugged her so much. Looking around she tried to think of something to say that wasn't inappropriate or totally awkward, but words wouldn't come. Biting her cheek she finally managed "I'm gonna go now. Wanted to make sure you were alright though, I mean it looked to be upsetting you in there."

He stared at her a moment and then said quietly, "It's just hard seeing that, then remembering what happened, imagining the pain they had to have felt before they finally succumbed to it." as he added, "But thank you.." as he watched her making a rather hasty retreat, probably for the library. He'd noticed she seemed to spend a lot of time in there, reading or just sitting at the window, staring out, like she was lost in deep thought. Not that he'd been watching her or anything like that, of course.

He had, a little, but he kept that to himself. He'd rather not make her any more uncomfortable than she was around people in general already. He also didn't get why she was that way. But he knew it probably had a lot to do with her not being like any of the other girls, her family being poor, her wearing all her older siblings school clothes.

She was most likely sensitive, not like his friend Ron who just shrugged it off or blew up on the person bullying him and then let things go. She tended to retreat if she got picked on, he noticed. Oh, she'd pretend she didn't care and it didn't hurt, but he could look at her and tell that it did hurt.

Around the corner, she slid into the library and found a table near the back, digging around in her satchel, pulling out her books. She'd just do all her homework now, since she had this class period free. She'd do her homework, she'd concentrate on anything and everything but the way he looked upset just now, or how his words resonated with her, made her feel bad for him.

She bit her lower lip and winced as she turned the pages in her book listlessly, finding that even now, with her resolve to do so as strong as it was, like a lot lately, she just couldn't shove the distraction that the tall and quiet male posed in her normal bubble of privacy, her normal quiet and boring routine. It annoyed her and made her curious.

"It's just because he was nice to me. Most people really aren't." she muttered to herself as she stood and walked to a bookshelf, walking down the row, trailing her fingers along the leather spines, the feel of them beneath her fingertips calming her mind down a little. She stopped at the end of the row and grabbed for a book she'd been reading the week before, and sighing, she slunk back to her table, flopped down into the chair, propped her legs on the table, opened the book in her lap and began to read where she left off.

She nearly jumped a mile out of her chair when Neville sat down at the table across from her and then coughed a little. She promptly sat up, blushed a little as she explained "Quieter in here." as he nodded in agreement. They sat there quietly, watching each other when they weren't looking respectively. Finally, Neville asked quietly, "Doesn't it bother you when people say what they do about you and to you? I mean I've noticed how mean they can be.."

She looked up, peered at him over her glasses as she bit her lower lip and mused on how to answer the question he asked. Finally, she shrugged and said quietly, "Well, they are right, Neville.. I mean I make myself stick out, I don't try and meet new people, and I'm probably from a poorer family than the Weasleys.. Sometimes it does, but I think about it and realize that this is just school.. In a few years when we're out of here, Neville.. Do you really think anyone's going to remember something they picked on a person about 5 years before?"

He thought it over and then shrugged as he said quietly, "You don't even say anything, though. I mean I'd have to at least say something back. Or try to." as she chuckled and then said with a smirk, "It's called Karma. And Karma, whether we like it or not, Longbottom, always comes back around. I could insult them, I could do exactly what they do to me, but I really can't be bothered to. Because I honestly don't care what anyone thinks. I am what I am. I've always been this way, I'll continue to be this way until the day I stop breathing." as he looked at her and managed a slight smile.

"I wish I could look at it that way. Things just get to me too easily." he muttered as she looked up and then said quietly, "That's what makes you a good person. You're capable of feeling things. You wear your heart on your sleeve. I, however, don't." gazing intently for a moment into his eyes. He blushed a little and then said "Thanks.. I think."

"It's a catch 22 though, because things that shouldn't bother you do, and sometimes you let people take advantage of you." she said as he nodded and muttered "Yeah, that's true." before gazing at her a few moments. Gradually, the more they bumped into one another, he was slowly getting the much quieter Ravenclaw to open up.

And he was starting to find himself thinking of her as a friend. He noticed her t shirt, carefully hidden under the regulation Ravenclaw blazer and asked "Why in Merlin does your t shirt have the Slytherin seal on it?"

She chuckled and then said calmly, "It's not. It's a t shirt for some Muggle band.. Ermm, Metallica I think? My brother sent it to me when he went to a concert the summer of his last year here. It's kind of my security blanket." she muttered as she fumbled with the sleeves of a long sleeve black thermal under shirt, the sleeves were at least an inch longer than the ill fitting Ravenclaw blazer, covered her hands almost to the fingertips.

"You bite your nails." he mused as she shrugged and said casually, "Nervous habit. You fidget, it's not any different." as she smirked at him. He blushed a little and then said quietly, "Not all the time."

"Just most of it." she quipped as she looked at him, laughed a little, held out the science fiction book she'd been reading on the train. "You asked about it on the train.. I've just finished it.. Just don't get it dirty or something." she muttered as she eyed him warily for a moment. He looked at her and then reached out, taking the book, thanking her.

She stood and said goodbye quietly, and then she was gone, leaving him to sit there and think about their small conversations here and there, how he actually had had a crush on her the previous year, but he hadn't really tried speaking to her until the train ride back to school at the start of this one. And he still wasn't entirely sure if she even thought of him as a friend.

Courtney skipped down the hallway, humming under her breath as she tried to figure out the Gryffindor she'd began to consider a friend. She growled at herself in frustration and then muttered "He's just being nice. Obviously he feels sorry for you." as she made her way out onto the lawns, intending on walking around, thinking for a little while.

She just couldn't do that around him. He sort of sent her whole system into some sort of infernal upset.


	4. Partners In Crime Sort Of

"What are you doing?" he spoke from behind her as she worked on jimmying loose a door with an ancient lock. She'd found the place by accident, she'd been looking for somewhere to hide from Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle.. She looked up at him over her shoulder and bit her lower lip a moment, looked up and down the hallway, making sure nobody was watching.

"What's it look like, Longbottom?" she asked as he said "Obviously that room's not meant to be entered, it's locked."

"Ya think?" she drawled with a smirk as he sighed and then waved his hands, started to walk away. But for some reason, his feet wouldn't let him move. "Either ya watch out, Longbottom, or ya go." she said calmly as she kept working the lock with what looked like a hairpin of some sort. Her tongue jutted out, moving slowly along her full lower lip as she swore under her breath, blew her bangs out of her eyes and continued working the lock. "That damned television show cannot possibly have been lying. This door will open, one way or another."

"What's it matter if it will or won't?" Neville watched the petite Ravenclaw as she looked up at him and said with a calm smirk, "Because, Longbottom, I just want to see if I can do it. I don't know really.. I was bored." as she passed her teeth over her lower lip, continued to work the lock. About 5 seconds later, she heard a click and the heavy antique and rusty chain and lock squealed a little and fell away.

"I wouldn't go in there." he said patiently, though he knew this bizarre girl well enough by now to know that his suggestion fell on deaf ears. Grumbling, he stepped into the room behind her, raising his wand as he looked around warily, moved closer to her, so if something were to come out of the shadows after them... well, he thought that was why he moved carefully closer to her. When he did, his nose was filled with a tangy apple scent and his mouth watered just a little. Their arms brushed and he raked his hand over the back of his neck and hissed in the semi darkness, "What is this room?"

"Reckon it's an old storage closet. Not that interesting now that I've gotten the damn thing open." she muttered as she shrugged, almost jumping a little when her back brushed his chest. She turned to look at him, brow raised as he looked around the room. The tension between the two was heavy, almost filling the air and suffocating them, she knew if she noticed, he had to.. Unless of course, he didn't have slightly less than normal friendly feelings towards her like she did him.

She squeaked as her eyes went wide, and the spider crawled around on his shoulder. Stuttering she pointed her finger as the color drained from her face.. "Neville.. It's a very big spider."

He raised his brow then chuckled a little, brushing at the spider, the contact from his hand sending it flying into the overall darkness of the rest of the room. "It's just a spider."

"Yeah, well, I happen to hate them." she mumbled as he looked at her, trying not to laugh. Of all the things he'd thought the feisty and wild little brunette might be afraid of, it never occured to him that she might be afraid of spiders. He winced as her fist lazily bounced off his arm. "It's not funny, damn it all." she hissed as he chuckled and shrugged at her.

"We should probably get out of here." he stated as she nodded, but started to walk deeper into the room, her eyes glued to a stack of things in a box.. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be things confiscated from former students in years past. "No fuckin way.. I have to see if they're in there." she muttered as she dug through the box, until she reached the very bottom.

At the very bottom were a few things that'd been taken from her older siblings, her brothers, the family mischief makers. "Boxing gloves? Really? Ooh.. Here's his jacket..Exploding Snap!"

"What is it?" Neville asked as he let his eye dart around the room, worried they'd be caught at any moment. She emerged from the side of the room she'd disappeared to, wearing a pair of dark tinted sunglasses, a ratty denim jacket and carrying a pair of odd and heavily padded gloves around her neck. "What'd you find?"

"Only all the crap that my idiot older brothers got confiscated from them when they were students here. So.. Let's get out of here." she said as he nodded and then nodding to the gloves he asked "What in Merlin are those?"

"Boxing gloves. My brothers lucky boxing gloves, actually." she said quietly as she raised to tiptoe, brushed a cobweb out of his hair carefully, shrugging it off.. Even as the cologne he wore filled her nose and made her stomach do a flip flop. "I, umm.. You didn't have to come in here." she muttered as he shrugged and said simply, "Either I did or I stood out there and wondered what on Earth you were doing in here and if you were okay." indicating that he was starting to consider her a friend. She nodded and said with a slightly crooked smile, "Let's get out of here before someone catches us.. I don't wanna get you into trouble or something."

Once they stood in the hallway again, she, as usual said a hasty goodbye and practically fled from where they stood, just sort of looking at one another. Neville shrugged and watched her retreating, mused aloud, "Why in Merlin does she keep running off like that I wonder?" as he turned, walked down the corridor, continuing his own secret search for something to help Harry in his next task in the tournament.


End file.
